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In some cases, your research might end with exploratory research. Perhaps you have discovered your
organization lacks the resources needed to produce the product. In other cases, you might decide you
need more in-depth, quantitative research such as descriptive research or causal research, which are
discussed next. Most marketing research professionals advise using both types of research, if it’s feasible.
On the one hand, the qualitative-type research used in exploratory research is often considered too
“lightweight.” Remember earlier in the chapter when we discussed telephone answering machines and the
hit TV sitcom Seinfeld? Both product ideas were initially rejected by focus groups. On the other hand,
relying solely on quantitative information often results in market research that lacks ideas.
Descriptive Research
Anything that can be observed and counted falls into the category of descriptive research design. A study
using a descriptive research design involves gathering hard numbers, often via surveys, to describe or
measure a phenomenon so as to answer the questions of who, what, where, when, and how. “On a scale
of 1–5, how satisfied were you with your service?” is a question that illustrates the information a
descriptive research design is supposed to capture.
Physiological measurements also fall into the category of descriptive design.
Physiological measurements measure people’s involuntary physical responses to marketing stimuli,
such as an advertisement. Recall in Chapter 3 "Consumer Behavior: How People Make Buying
Decisions" we explained that researchers have gone so far as to scan the brains of consumers to see what